Weekend Fun

Some pics from this weekend

Hmmmm..........

Well as quick as it was given to me, it was taken away.

The wife has pulled the plug on out of state jobs and has instead encouraged me to go to school and become a cop here in MN. She would have a hard time being away from friends and family and I can understand that.

I am not sure how I feel about this whole thing, but if I have to stay in MN for the good of the family I guess that is what I am going to do. I realize that if the wife isn't happy, there isn't anybody that is going to be happy.

What would I like to do you ask? Well I am a bit more of a free spirit when it comes to stuff like this. YES, I would miss my family and Kris', and YES it would be hard getting to know all new friends in a different state, and YES it would be a big change to be in a place where we have no friends or family, but I have never been one to let that bother me. If I want to go, then I go.

But alas this shall not be. I am going to call the local college and set up a time soon that the wife and I can go in and meet with an admissions person to get me all ready to start in the spring.

In the end the wife will be happier, the good of the family is upheld, and maybe I might even get to be a real cop someday.......

For my wife and FOF

What is this????? An Update?????? Ok Ok, so I am horrible at blogging. I have said it before and I really do mean it when I say it, I AM BAD at this.

So what is new with me you ask? Well not much actually. I am still working out and trying to get less fat. It is going ok but Dt. Pepsi and Miller Lite sneak their way into my mouth a little to frequently still. They are just so good, and it is summer, and DAMNIT why is beer so good........

Anyways, the wife is for sure prego and with a little over a month left I am pretty sure she would pay any price that was quoted to get this baby out of her. She is uncomfortable a lot and is ready to be done. I am scared as hell to add a second, but also very excited to meet little Brody. I often wonder how in the hell I am going to care for 2 kids at once when the Mrs. is out shopping or whatever by herself and I have to care for both at the same time with no help. I am sure I will make it work but I am nervous.

Kris and I have been talking and I have gotten the green light to look for cop jobs outside of the state of MN. That is pretty exciting and scary as well. So I am now spending the day today and here on out looking at places to apply. Maybe I will get interviews, maybe I won't but I guess I will never know what could be unless I try.

So that is what I know. I can't promise to blog every day, but I will try to get better!

Greg

Cleaning Machine

The last couple of days I have been alone at the house while wife and child have been gone for the day.  What have I done you ask?  Well I have worked out for about an hour and a half both days.  I have also been doing some furniture moving for the wife.  I mowed the lawn, washed the car, and cleaned the living room and dining room.  I have also done a butt load of laundry.

My sis is coming this weekend to spend time with us and the lovely Ellie.  It should be a lot of fun.  I have not seen her since Christmas and we always have a good time when she is here.  Her divorce became final this last week and she was going to have a party, but then decided against it and is coming here instead.

The camera has finally come out of the case in the last week and a half.  I have been having lots of fun and I am currently building my own little photo studio in the basement so I can shoot some still life photos.  Last February I bought the book 'photo idea index' as recommended by Oh Captain.  It was a HUGE inspiration and a lot of fun to read.  It literally has 100's of ideas to try and it was worth every penny of the $25 I spent on it!!

Well that is all I have for tonight.  Tomorrow I clean the kitchen before the sis comes to town and then a weekend of relaxation!

Till then,

Greg

Heat?

Can anyone explain where this heat came from?  One day it is barely 65 and now it is well over 80 and stuffy as hell in our house.  At least it is not cold and rainy I guess.

I don't have much to blog about right now.  The child and I played outside for about an hour this AM, but have not really done much since then.  When she wakes up from her nap we will go outside again and I am going to have her help me wash the car.

Worked out again today and things went well.  I feel like I could go again tonight.  I will wait till the morning to go again.  I have felt pretty good the last 2 days and I have even ran on the treadmill both days!!

Greg

Whats This??? An actual post?

Well friends, the time has come when I am finally interested in blogging again.  I realize that I may have lost some of you as readers, but hopefully you will come back to the badge.

A couple or 3 years ago I started this blog as a way to relieve stress, and have someplace to put my thoughts.  I went strong for quite a while, but then I became tired of posting, and writing, and with the whole concept in general.  So I stopped.  Then on March 10th of this year I watched one of my co workers pass away while we were at work.  This did not help me want anything to do with blogging.

This was probably one of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with.  He was a good man, with a big heart and a booming personality.  He was, however, very over weight and liked to drink a lot.  He was 51 when he passed and this experience gave me the final kick in the butt that I needed to make a change in my life and get healthy.

I was on a roll for 5 weeks with working out.  Most weeks I would go 5 days a week.  But through it all, I was still having a tough time dealing with his death.  So I took an almost 3 week break and started drinking almost every night.  Not good.

Then this last week I got is some trouble at work that provided me with 5 days off with no pay.  And while I should be upset and feeling down about this, I actually feel good.  This discipline has put my life and my job stress in perspective.  It made me see why my co-worker that died lived his life to the fullest.  Granted, he was not in our facility as a career because it was just a job to him.  But what I have learned is that when some people are against you, you will never win or excel.  And now that I have been enlightened to this little fact, I am totally at peace with going to work, doing my job, being seen and not heard, and then going home to my family.  Suddenly a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and the work stress is gone.

I have a friend that is 43 and started working out at the end of January this year.  He was the same size I am now and works out 6 days a week.  While I may work up to this someday, right now I am happy working out just 4 days.  He has gone from a 47" waist (like me) to a 36".  That is not pant size, but rather the measurement around the middle of the stomach, right over the love handles, and around to the back.  He has inspired me to really make an effort to work out and be consistent with it.  He is helping me to eat better, loose weight, and look the best I can.  Unfortunately, he is also trying to get me to participate in a bodybuilding contest.  

I am fighting him on this.

I just cannot picture myself walking on a stage, in a banana hammock, and posing in front of 300 people.  Nope, it is just not for me.

I do want to lose weight, be healthy, and gain muscle.  Lots and lots of muscle.

So I have decided to post the ugly facts on this blog.  For all to see.  

I want to track my progress and look back in a year from now and say "damn.....I have come a long way....I was a fat ass!!"  And so without any further delay, here are the ugly truths with a couple of BEFORE pics.

Weight: 255lbs

Waist:  49"

Chest: 49" (not to bad, except it is mostly man boob)

Arms:  17"

And there I am in all my glorious fatness.  

So this is what has been going on with me.  I am looking forward to getting back into the blogger swing of things, and catching up with all of you.  

More to come.

Greg

A Tough Loss

Today I witnessed the death of  one of my co workers.  This may be one of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with.  

ToCar was a well known deputy in our department, in the court system, and throughout the community.  

ToCar, you will be missed.  You were a great man, and you will never know the impact you had on everyone you came to know.

GCSO #1134 is, for the last time, 10-7.

Sex Panther

          60% of the time; it works every time!!

Has it been 3 months already??

On Friday night we go back to nights at work.  Normally I have dreaded this in the past.  Not this time though, this time I am embracing the change.  On days this rotation it has been busier than you can imagine.......ALL THE TIME!!!!  Not only was it busy, the crooks have become even more child like.  I mean,  I know I work in an adult day care, but seriously, when you are 30+ years old do you really need to play grab ass and fart on other 30+ year olds???  It is ridiculous, and I just about flipped out last night when dealing with these idiots.

So yes, I am totally looking forward to nights and a break from all the action.  Of course if I get this new job in the jail I will be right back on days, but I will only have to deal with the crooks on an individual basis instead of 40-50 at a time.  

With all of that said, I realize I have not posted any photos in a while.  Here is a couple I have taken recently.  The first one is the cap of some boot cleaner.  I thought the macro on this made the bristles really look neat.  It is not much, but the winter weather has kind of put me in a funk for picture taking.

I am in a group on Flikr that is like a 365 photo group, but instead of daily photos we do a weekly shot.  Last week was self portrait week.  I was a bit uncomfortable with this, as I am not a big fan of getting my picture taken.  But, I finally sucked it up and took a few shots.  This is the one that I posted in my group.

Well that is about it for now.  I must start making lunch for the child and pick up this dump hole we call a house.  It is amazing how quick a 2 year old can destroy the cleanliness of a room!!

Greg

History

There are a precious few moments in ones life when you know, without a doubt, that you are witnessing true history that someday your daughter will learn about when she is in school.  In my life so far, I have witnessed the Berlin Wall falling, the 9/11 attacks and now the inauguration of the first African American President.  I am sure there are more that I am forgetting, but these are the ones that really stick out in my mind.  

I watched the swearing in, and the first speech by our new President while I was at work.  I felt like I needed to wittiness this moment in time.  i needed to see the oath as it was recited, and I needed to watch as our new President gave his first speech to our country, and this speech moved me beyond what words on this blog can describe.  One of the things that impressed me  is that President Obama wrote the entire speech that he gave today himself.  That is right, HE wrote it.  Not some lackey on the sidelines making sure that the President does not sound or look foolish.  I think that we have had enough of that in the last 8 years.  When President Obama speaks, he inspires people.  He offers hope, realism, and a true vision for the future of our country.  When you hear President Obama speak, there is little doubt why people compare him to Martin Luther King Jr.  

Yet with all the history happening today, I cannot believe the amount of people who I work with, and I am not just talking about the crooks, that had NO IDEA what was happening today.  Now I can see how you might not realize what day it is and have forgotten about the inauguration.  What I don't understand is how on earth some of the educated people I work with can't seem to grasp why this day is so special.  One co-worker actually said "who cares about the inauguration, its just like every other one we have had".  WHAT!?!?!?!  Are you kidding me?!?!?!?!

I just don't get it.

At any rate, I am proud to have witnessed the history that was made today.  I would have loved to be at the National Mall to celebrate today with the estimated 3 million + people in Washington D.C. today.

Greg

Shit its cold out

As my mom would say "it is colder than a witches tit in a brass bra" outside.  And windy.  Which means all that nice new snow we got last night is blown up against the garage door, around my car, and across my front sidewalk.  

Thank god my FIL is coming out to blow everything out for me.  You see since I have injured my back and now move like an 80 year old man, pretty much any physical labor I do will re-injure the back.  I am light duty at work until the end of this week, but think I might ask the doc to extend it for another week.  The back is better but still not great.  We are going to night in little less than 2 weeks which will be a welcome break from the business of days.  I may not be on nights for long though as I applied for a new position within the jail which would allow me to work basically 8-430 with no weekends or holidays.  I would stay at the same pay, but would not be able to work over time.  Our fingers are crossed that I get this position.  

I think that is about it for now.  I have to get the snow blower ready for Daddy-O and color with Ellie.

Greg

A Riddle........

                                  What does this......

                                            Plus This........

                                         EQUAL?????

                         Well this of course!!!!

One more Familly Photo!!!

And yes I am the idiot that cut the top of my own head off in the picture!!